Most of us have business cards. And most of us hand them out at networking events. We hand them directly to people we meet and we put them in fish bowls and boxes to register for prizes. And we all (hopefully) know the true purpose of having people drop their business cards in the bowls and boxes to register for prizes. It’s to get everyone’s contact information so we can stay in contact with them after the event, and most likely add them to our list so we can communicate with them on a regular basis.

Oftentimes one of the the biggest challenges for business professionals can be self-promotion. Many people simply find it difficult to talk about themselves and struggle to tell the world how “good” they really are. If you are one of the many who tend to fall over their tongue when asked to talk about themselves, or simply avoid doing so altogether, think back to the old adage, “If you don’t toot your own horn, someone else will use it as a spittoon.” [Read more…]

Isn’t it a tremendous feeling when you write a new book or develop a new product or service and are ready to hit the market with it? All those years of hard work finally come together and you are ready to reap the rewards. (Cue the doves.) However, before you officially put your product or book up for sale, there are several things that need to be done first. (Bring back the doves.)

It takes a lot of pre-planning to make your entire launch a success. But there is good news. Once these steps are done, they can be used throughout the campaign. So even though there is a lot of pre-work involved, it’s work you won’t have to do again later, so it’s well worth the investment up front. (Release the doves again.) [Read more…]